A little surprised by the resistance of his unknown opponent, the defending champion Carlos Alcaraz nevertheless won in three sets for his first match at Wimbledon on Monday, better than Jannik Sinner who dropped a set.
The first day was marked in the women’s draw by the withdrawal of world number 3 and outgoing semi-finalist Aryna Sabalenka, injured in a shoulder, and by the walkover of Coco Gauff.
. Alcaraz is working
His opponent Mark Lajal, ranked 269th in the world, could have surprised the sober Carlos Alcaraz with his straw-coloured hair styled in a palm tree shape on his head.
It turns out that the Estonian also surprised him with his tennis, having never played competitively on grass before this summer when he was eliminated in the second round of qualifying at the Surbiton and Nottingham Challengers, before going through the three qualifying rounds at Wimbledon.
“He played a very good match and I have to admit that he surprised me a little because I hadn’t really seen him play before. He has a very good level and I’m sure I’ll see him again on the circuit.”commented the Spaniard after his 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 6-2 victory in 2h22.
Alcaraz, who is aiming for a rare Roland-Garros – Wimbledon double, will face the Australian Aleksandar Vukic (69th) or the Austrian Sebastian Ofner (45th) in the next round.
. Sinner concedes a set
Jannik Sinner after his victory over German Yannick Hanfmann at Wimbledon, July 1, 2024 / Ben Stansall / AFP
The Italian is playing his first Grand Slam tournament as world number one. And while he recognizes the qualities of his opponent Yannick Hanfmann, he believes he did not play well enough.
“He played very well, served very well and I missed a few shots. I have to raise my level for the next round. I have a day off to find my rhythm.”analyzed the Italian, victim of a few uncontrolled slides but apparently without consequences.
In the next round, he will face his compatriot Matteo Berrettini (59th), finalist of the tournament in 2021.
. Medvedev and Gauff unroll
Daniil Medvedev, world number 5 and semi-finalist last year, made his entry into the competition much more calmly at the expense of the American Aleksandar Kovacevic (88th) 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
American Coco Gauff faces her compatriot Caroline Dolehide at Wimbledon, July 1, 2024 / Glyn KIRK / AFP
“I’ve never lost on Court No. 1 so I hope to still play there”Medvedev stressed before leaving the arena. Last year, he played there and won all his matches, up until the semi-final played, but lost, on the Central Court.
In the next round, he will face a Frenchman: Alexandre Müller (102nd).
In the evening, Coco Gauff swept aside her compatriot Caroline Dolehide (51st) 6-1, 6-2.
In the next round, the champion of the last US Open will face the Romanian Anca Todoni (142nd and from qualifying).
Gauff made a thunderous entrance into Wimbledon in 2019, beating Venus Williams in the first round before reaching the last 16 at the age of 15. But she has yet to reach the quarter-finals.
“Wimbledon is the place, not where the dream began, but where I began to believe that the dream was possible. I have played on many big courts, but every time I play here I am more nervous, even than for a Grand Slam final.”she said.
. Sabalenka retires
She had warned on Saturday: victim of a « rare » With a shoulder injury, world No. 3 Aryna Sabalenka was not sure she would be able to play on Monday.
The news actually came a few hours before her match against the American Emina Bektas (107th): “I am devastated to announce that I will not be able to play Wimbledon this year,” she wrote on Instagram. “I have tried everything to be ready, but unfortunately my shoulder is not cooperating. I pushed myself to the max today in practice, but my team told me that playing would only make things worse.”.
Twice a semi-finalist at Wimbledon (2021, 2023), Sabalenka had to retire during her quarter-final against Anna Kalinskaya in Berlin ten days ago due to this physical problem.
